Giant Planet Orbits Backwards

1. Forigner1
   August 12th, 2009 at 2:18 pm

   A planet with the density of expanded polistyrene a thousand lightyears from here... That one didn't need much to change directions.

2. seekshelter
   August 12th, 2009 at 4:12 pm

   actually, our system is an anomaly. other stars have planets that rotate in various patterns. ours is strange in the fact that all the planet's orbit in a relatively flat array.

3. sc0tty
   August 12th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

   "subjected to intense tides as it travelled in its strange and highly-elliptical orbit"

   Kinda sounds like the time I got drunk & confused, and drove my old chevy into the bay.

4. Vonskippy
   August 12th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

   Probably a girl planet, then can never follow directions.

5. eyescube
   August 12th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

   it sounds like a pregnant person-...stretched and bloated...

6. eyescube
   August 12th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

   of course, no offense to pregnant people

7. Larfin Jackarse
   August 13th, 2009 at 3:18 am

   What direction does a big planet orbit in?

   ANY direction it wants to.

8. ETA
   August 13th, 2009 at 6:23 am

   How would orbiting backwards affect the planet? Would it have gravity like Earth? Would the planet have different kind of life forms?

9. danny day
   August 13th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

   How would this affect our planet?

10. Nicholas Dollak
    August 14th, 2009 at 8:55 am

    @ ETA: Orbiting backwards might subject it to very high tidal forces, but I must confess that I don't know enough about the mechanics of these things to do more than speculate on that point. Its orbit is highly elliptical, too, which I'm sure would cause temperature extremes and would stretch it out of shape.

    Of course it would have a gravitational field - all objects do. In the case of WASP-17, it would probably be twice as powerful as Jupiter's, which is many times stronger than Earth's. Assuming it had a surface you could land on, you'd not be able to stand up, or even breathe. And we don't have any rockets powerful enough to get you off the planet. So if you're planning to visit it, stay a safe distance!

    As for life-forms, it's anyone's guess. For a very long time I believed that the "water is a requirement for life" statement was rather short-sighted and based on the fact that this is true for organisms on Earth (That is, if Jupiter had life, it would breathe gaseous ammonia, etc.) However, a few years ago a chemist explained hydrocarbons to me. I don't remember the details, but the upshot of it was that hydrogen is the only element that bonds readily with almost anything, is the most abundant element in the universe, and when it bonds with carbon it forms a solid "platform" for more complex chemical combinations, such as proteins, etc. An ammonia atmosphere would not yield enough chemical variety to result in something as complex as organic life. Therefore, while I'm not saying that WASP-17 has no life, I think the odds against it are pretty steep.

    WASP-17 appears to be a gas giant --- a very thick envelope of gases surrounding a hot core that might be liquid or solid. This core might be twice the size of Earth --- very tiny in relation to the gas envelope. It may also, like Jupiter and Saturn, generate powerful radiation belts that would be quite lethal to any human visitors who came near it. I'm not sure we have adequate protection to make a "2001: A Space Odyssey" trip to Jupiter or Saturn feasible yet.

11. Nicholas Dollak
    August 14th, 2009 at 9:10 am

    @ Danny Day: Since WASP-17 is in another solar system, it's over 4.5 light-years away from us and has absolutely no effect on Earth.

    If you're wondering what would happen to Earth if we started orbiting in reverse... Look at the first paragraph of my very long response to ETA's questions for my answer. In addition, since it would take something very cataclysmic to change our orbit, we wouldn't be around to enjoy our backward ride. The stronger tidal forces would probably slow Earth's rotation, making the days longer. WASP-17's orbit is also much more elliptical than Earth's; if our orbit became that elliptical, we'd probably be subjected to lethal temperature extremes. On the other hand, as long as Earth's rotation continued as it is, anyone who managed to survive would notice that the sun still rose in the east & set in the west, but the constellations would appear in reverse order. The apparent movement of planets in our solar system would change, too, as their positions in our sky partly depend on our position around the sun.

12. katerina v
    August 14th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    where is this planet going? and how fast? is it comming our way? and if it is, than how long do we have before it can affect our planet? nobody is talking about that. does anybody know outhere?

13. tt
    August 14th, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    @katerina v

    it wouldn't matter.. it would take at least a few thousand years unless it travels at the speed of light which is...impossible

14. ETA
    August 14th, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    @ Nicholas Dollak: Thank you

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